So, celebrating the return to normality yet sort of sad at taking down my favourite decorations - including the most awesome card ever from my friend julia and little bells that jingled delightfully thus making tripping over the tree fun. They also have the advantage of being made of metal, which is good if you happen to send the beloved up into the attic to find your baubles and half an hour later, popping upstairs to find youself uttering 'um, you can stop looking now, they are actually in this box you hurled down earlier. Which now rattles. like shattered glass'

It remains to be said that my neighbour, who spent the duration of advent stapling every plastic monstrously ugly decoration to the outside of their house, does not share the belief that the time for christmas decorations is over. It's like living next to a neon insideout poundland, though by midjuly it has usually eroded to just onestring of lights.